"How could that be? He comes every day!" Xi Zhixuan stubbornly replied, suddenly sounding like a child.
Seeing her condition, I suspected she might have early dementia. Xiao Yuande tugged at me, seemingly intending to reveal the truth, but I stopped him and made an excuse to leave.
As we exited the nursing home, Xiao Yuande asked, "How long do you think you can keep this from her?"
"Let's take it one day at a time. I'm afraid Xi Zhixuan wouldn't be able to handle the blow. Long Xingchen is her only relative," I replied with a sigh as we got into the police car and headed back to the station.
After using my Insightful Gaze, I didn't find anything suspicious about Xi Zhixuan. This made the case even more perplexing. Completely unrelated individuals all purchased painkillers for various aches, but taking them led to explosive deaths. Who could have given them these pills?
If they all bought them from the same source, who was the seller?
An idea suddenly struck me, and I asked Technician Xie Deguang and others to investigate the victims' recent purchase records, including both physical and online transactions.
Before long, Xie Deguang reported back. He said that all three victims had recently purchased a type of painkiller called Huangsi Pills from an online store named Jile Pharmacy on Taobao.
Jile Pharmacy? The name itself sounded suspicious. I instructed Xie Deguang to pose as a customer and order a box of Huangsi Pills. When the package arrived, I immediately handed the pills over to Zhao Simeng for testing.
After completing the tests, Zhao exclaimed, "This is incredible. How did you find these pills?"
"All three victims had purchased them online!"
"How strange. How did they all happen to buy from the same store?" Zhao wondered aloud.
I scratched my head, realizing she was right. So, we continued to investigate their recent activities on social media. With the combined efforts of Xie Deguang and Li Hong, we uncovered some emails.
The messages generally read:
"Hello, dear customer. Do you suffer from pain? If so, click this link. We offer a special pain relief medication that guarantees results, or we'll give you a full refund."
I clicked on the link, which led directly to the Jile Pharmacy store!
Xie Deguang speculated that the emails were sent out randomly, indicating that the store owner was indiscriminately selecting victims rather than targeting specific people.
If this theory was correct, many more people could be at risk!
As I considered dispatching a team to investigate the Taobao store, Xie provided me with the address. "The shop is located at 124 Xinkang Road, Gaogang City. You should check it out!"
I immediately took Xiao Yuande, Gao Qiang, and a few other officers. We boarded the police cars and headed toward Gaogang City, which wasn't far from our city, Fuming. Incidentally, Gaogang was where I had worked in the past, so it felt like a return.
When we arrived at the supposed location of Jile Pharmacy, we found no storefront, only a dilapidated building.
Exchanging glances, we drew our weapons and moved cautiously. The building appeared to have no proper entrance, so we circled it and found a cracked wall near a tree at the back. It was just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. We entered carefully.
Inside, the environment was dimly lit, with the sound of machinery grinding in the background. The ground was muddy, and the surroundings were filthy.
After turning a corner and advancing cautiously, we spotted several workers operating outdated machinery. Upon seeing us with guns drawn, the workers panicked and tried to flee. Fortunately, we managed to apprehend a few, while others were caught by officers stationed outside.
When we questioned the workers about the shop owner, one of them stammered, "I don't know. I just work here because the pay is good!"
"You tried to run when you saw us. Are you aware that these pills are problematic?" I pressed him.
"I don't know anything. I just mix the ingredients as instructed."
"Lies! Tell me who's in charge here!"
Despite repeated questioning, the worker refused to reveal anything. Left with no choice, I ordered the officers to escort all the workers back to the station.
Meanwhile, we examined the facility. The interior was as chaotic and filthy as a garbage dump. Just standing there for a few minutes made my stomach churn.
I instructed the officers to seize the machinery and collect any pill residues for further examination by Zhao Simeng. She soon arrived at the scene with her forensic kit and began inspecting.
To my surprise, Chief Forensic Expert Huang also showed up. "This case is massive. I've heard that many people have bought these pills," he said.
"They haven't reached the point of explosion yet, have they?" I asked.
"No, but if they do, the consequences will be unimaginable…"
Before he could finish, a loud explosion erupted outside the building. Startled, we rushed out immediately.
On the street, we found a child lying motionless on the ground. We hurried over to him and saw his abdomen had ruptured. Enraged, I muttered, "Damn it. Even a child took these pills!"
As I held the boy, a couple ran toward us from a distance. Seeing the child in my arms, they broke into tears. "How could this happen?" they cried.
I asked, "Did you recently buy a painkiller called Huangsi Pills?"
"Yes! How do you know, Officer?" the man replied.
"There's a problem with that medication. We're investigating a case related to it."
"We had no idea the pills were dangerous. If we'd known, we would never have given them to him. It's all our fault," the couple lamented, blaming themselves.
I instructed an officer to take their statement while handing the child's body to Chief Huang. He crouched down and began examining it immediately.
Back inside the building, I updated Zhao Simeng on the situation. She said, "All the recent deaths are linked to Huangsi Pills. Luckily, we've shut this operation down, so no one else should be able to buy them."
However, when I checked the Taobao store's sales records, I discovered they had already sold 275 units. That meant, aside from the five known victims, 270 more people could potentially die!
The entire police team was shocked by this number. This couldn't be allowed to continue. I immediately asked Director Liu to issue a public notice on the news:
"The police have recently uncovered a hazardous medication called Huangsi Pills sold by a Taobao store. This medication is extremely dangerous and can cause fatal explosions when ingested. We urge anyone who has purchased this product to come to the police station for immediate testing."